A “shouting” easyJet crew member is said to have “thrown” an NHS doctor off a flight to Spain over a baggage row on Christmas Eve.
Dr Vana Katsomitrou, from Wembley, London, claims an “aggressive” easyJet crew member threw her off the flight to Alicante, Spain from London Luton Airport over an oversized bag, despite it meeting the requirements.
The NHS doctor was heading to southern Spain on December 24 for four-nights with her friends, only travelling with hand luggage.
Dr Katsomitrou said: “I begged them because it was Christmas Eve, I wanted to spend Christmas with friends.
“I said ‘if I did something that offended you, I apologise’, and she said she did not accept my apology. They didn’t let me on the plane.
“There were no more flights and I spent Christmas alone. They ruined my Christmas. She was so angry and annoyed at me.”
Dr Katsomitrou was initially asked to place her bag in the sizer by a staff member who thought it was too big, but claims the bag “comfortably” fit inside the box.
She said: “I took out a denim jacket and put it on. The bag fit in the box very comfortably. She turned her back on me and I touched her on her arm to show her the bag fits.
The bag which caused Dr Katsomitrou to be thrown off her flight to Alicante
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KENNEDY NEWS
“At that moment she started shouting ‘don’t touch me.’ She told me that I harassed her.”
Dr Katsomitrou said she apologised and offered to pay the £60 fee for the luggage but was still refused boarding her £160 flight.
The staff member was “aggressive” and had an “attitude” with everyone boarding, claims the holidaymaker.
She said: “It’s like she was annoyed that she was working Christmas Eve and wanted to ruin everyone else’s time.
Dr Katsomitrou says she is an “experienced” and “organised” traveller
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DR VANA KATSOMITROU
“I’m really careful about how I speak to people, I work for the NHS and I’m always careful not to say something that will offend people.
“I wasn’t aggressive at all.”
After complaining to easyJet, Dr Katsomitrou was told the member of staff claimed to have “felt threatened”, which is why she was thrown off the flight.
The budget airline said it was unable to disclose the outcome “for security reasons”, but told her to be “rest assured” that her feedback was taken seriously.
The NHS doctor said she was offered a £13 refund.
EasyJet has since confirmed that Dr Katsomitrou had removed items from her bag for it to meet the baggage requirements, but said she was “disruptive”, so was not allowed to fly.
An EasyJet spokesman said: “Our ground crew will check that bags are within the maximum dimensions to ensure they fit where they need to be stowed in the cabin and in fairness to customers who have booked to bring additional luggage.
“As Ms Katsomitrou behaved disruptively towards our team at the gate, she was refused travel. We do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour towards our staff.”
Dr Katsomitrou said: “I was in shock. I had paid for an Uber there and back. We had paid for the Airbnb, and I had booked a taxi from the airport.”
A regular flyer, the NHS doctor described herself as an “experienced” and “organised” traveller.
She said: “I never had an issue, I’ve had this bag for years. I do lots of getaways with just a backpack.
“I didn’t want to let it bother me but returning home I felt it was unfair. It was all for nothing.”
Dr Katsomitrou has vowed to never fly with easyJet again unless it is a matter of “life and death”.